Learning to speak Spanish in Extremadura is quite a challenge. The local dialect is spoken rapidly, with significant parts of the words left out, and a strong accent similar to that of Andalusia. Thus está cerrado (it's closed) becomes "taserow"; cuidado (take care) is pronounced "kwow" and see you later, or hasta luego, something like"ta-lo". So Julia and I headed to Valladolid, capital of the neighbouring region of Castilla y León, for a intensive 2-week language course in what's considered the home of pure Castilian. Here's a piece I wrote for the Telegraph about how we got on, and some pictures of beautiful Valladolid, which was once the capital of Spain. You may need to register to read the whole article.
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